Question 4/2 –
Human factors related issues for improvement of the quality of life through
international telecommunications

(continuation of Q.3/2)

Motivation

This Question is aimed at meeting the telecommunication/ICT needs of all
members of society, including older people and persons with disabilities, to
maximize the accessibility and usability of telecommunication/ICT services and
products.

The studies in this Question should lead to the better understanding of Human
Factors and the needs of persons with disabilities. The acquisition and
application of the required knowledge and relevant tools should enable all
persons to benefit from developments in telecommunication/ICT and ensure that no
new barriers to accessibility and usability are created. Such studies are also
needed to reduce the cultural and linguistic barriers associated with the
increasing amount of travel and cross-border movement.

This Question is also aimed at increasing uptake of services and therefore
revenues by maximizing the accessibility and usability of all services and
products through “universal design”1. WHO estimates that persons with
disabilities comprise 10% of the world’s population, so that greater usage of
telecommunication/ICT services and products by such persons will generate
additional revenues for service providers and vendors.

This Question also responds to paragraphs 2(g) and 2(h) of Article 9
“Accessibility” of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
which came into force on 3 May 2008.

Promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and
communications technologies and systems, including the Internet;

Promote the design, development, production and distribution of accessible
information and communications technologies and systems at an early stage, so
that these technologies and systems become accessible at minimum cost.

The following major Recommendations, in force at the time of approval of this
Question, fall under its responsibility:

Which basic elements of the human interface, such as access and control
procedures for important functions of services, presentation of address or user
feedback information, presentation of tone signals to international
telecommunication services, are relevant to multiple services, and therefore
should be made consistent or standardised to a certain extent, to simplify
learning and accelerate user acceptance?

How can a smooth dialogue between the user and the service be ensured if this
dialogue is voice-assisted?

What can be done to facilitate entering alphabetic information (not limited
to Latin script) in a terminal with only a numeric keypad, by providing at least
a certain degree of consistency across systems and services?

What Recommendations on language-specific issues need to be developed, such
as for a language-free indication to enter a code for the language to be used
for an interactive voice response service?

What Recommendations on new symbols and pictograms to assist
telecommunication users, including symbols for facilities and services that
accommodate people with disabilities, older people, and children need to be
developed?

What enhancements or new Recommendations need to be developed to eliminate,
or at least minimize, the difficulties that older people and people with
disabilities often face when using publicly accessed services, through public or
private terminals?

What Recommendations are needed to specify, and thereby promote the
development and production of, mobile telephones with reduced complexity and
increased usability, also for persons with disabilities, older people and
children?

Tasks

Tasks include, but are not limited to:

Maintenance and enhancements of those Recommendations in the E and F series
that are related to Human Factors, with regard to applicability,
interoperability, new user interface layers or other requirements.

Note: an up-to-date status of work under this Question is contained in the SG
2 Work Program.

Relationships

Within Study Group 2

Q.1/2

ITU-T Q.26/16

ITU-D Q.20/1

ITU-T JCA-AHF

With other groups

CEN TC 224 WG 6, “Man-machine interface”

ETSI TC HF, “Human Factors”

ISO/TC 159/SC 4, “Ergonomics of human system interaction”

1 “Universal design” means the design of products, environments, programmes and
services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without
the need for adaptation or specialized design. “Universal design” shall not
exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities
where this is needed. (Article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities)